Forfeits clinch playoff spot for PCA Lady Eagles

By SKIP LEON Herald Sports Editor

Published 8:49 am, Friday, January 30, 2015

Photo: Skip Leon/Plainview Herald

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Plainview Christian Academy's Abbey Maresca dribbles while being pressured by an opponent during a game earlier this season. The Lady Eagles will look to reverse a loss from earlier this year when they host Wichita Falls Notre Dame Saturday. less

Plainview Christian Academy's Abbey Maresca dribbles while being pressured by an opponent during a game earlier this season. The Lady Eagles will look to reverse a loss from earlier this year when they host ... more

Photo: Skip Leon/Plainview Herald

Forfeits clinch playoff spot for PCA Lady Eagles

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Alex Mulliken received some good news for her Plainview Christian Academy girls basketball team a few minutes before practice Wednesday.

Just one game into their TAPPS District 1-2A season, the Lady Eagles are assured of a postseason playoff berth.

Amarillo Ascension forfeited the rest of its games this year. Since there are only four teams in the district and the top three go to the playoffs, Ascension’s forfeiture leaves just three teams in the district and all will be going to the playoffs.

“Their girls team had a lot of girls go out due to injuries, grades, sickness, so they forfeited the district season which secures our spot in the playoffs,” Mulliken said as her team began practice in the PCA gym.

Mulliken said she could see a difference in her players when she informed them they had clinched a playoff berth.

“I just saw this sign of relief,” Mulliken said. “They need to relax. I think the freshmen are excited. It’s their first year playing on varsity and they get to go to the playoffs. There’s a little bit of a burden off our shoulders. Hopefully, we’ll be able to play with a little more confidence.”

The Lady Eagles lost by four points to Notre Dame in the opening district game three weeks ago. Plainview had trouble neutralizing Notre Dame’s tall inside players around the basket. And they had trouble keeping Notre Dame’s guards from penetrating and dishing the ball off to the post players for layups.

Mulliken said her team is hoping to have a new defense installed for Saturday’s game.

“We’ve been working on a new defense,” Mulliken said. “I don’t know if it will be ready for Notre Dame. But it will definitely be ready for CTK. It’s an interchangeable defense. It’s an extremely active defense. There’s not a lazy position, not a place you can hide away a weak defender. Everyone has to contribute, which is good because Notre Dame is more of a stationary post, drive and kick kind of team. We’ll be able to confuse them with all our motion and activity.”

New defense or not Saturday, Mulliken said her team must play more aggressively than it did the first time around.

“We need to be aggressive,” Mulliken said. “(Notre Dame) didn’t hold back on anything offensively or defensive. And we need to do the same. I think with the first district game you have a little bit of jitters going on, especially with a young team like this. But we’ve been practicing really hard.”

Another key for PCA will be playing at home.

“It’s good to be home,” Mulliken said. “As long as we stay aggressive in the post area and make sure we get them out of the lane and block out, I think we’ll be just fine.”

Mulliken said the aggression will have to be on offense just as much as on defense.

“On offense we have got to finish,” Mulliken said. “We shot around 30 percent against them the first time. We need to get those (tall) girls out of the lane so we can make some better drives. We were too stationary in our set plays and our motion plays. We weren’t creating enough movement to get them off balance. We really need to make sure we’re continuous with any play we do.

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“They had big girls inside and we didn’t do a very good job of drawing a foul. We didn’t go up strong and we’d kind of throw it up there and it wasn’t getting the job done. But we’ve been working on finishing, working on our shooting and getting better each game.”

How much the work has paid off will be seen Saturday at noon when PCA and Notre Dame do battle for the second time this season.